September 2013

POWERSOURCE ASK GOD:

1. For a fresh view of the blessings

in your life.

2. To help you watch for the some-

times subtle ways God shows up

in your everyday.

3. To bring you comfort and relief

through reminders of Jesus'

presence.

Finding God in the Details

When was the last time you paused to

marvel at the world around you? Every

day there are new God Sightings—

reminders of God in our daily lives—

just waiting to be discovered. Like the

person ahead of you in line who pays

for your order—on a day you could

really use the savings. Or the way your

kids can put a smile on your face, even

when life has you stressed. You’ll also

find God’s fingerprints in the amazing

order of the world. Did you know that

worker bees, by the end of their lives,

will have traveled a distance equal to fly-

ing around the world three times?

(amazingfacts.org) Or that the largest mam-

mals on earth, baleen whales, are sus-

tained by the smallest sea animals such

as krill?

There are of millions of incredible things

that happen around us every day, all re-

minders of God’s presence. When we

think in those terms, it’s easy to be re-

minded that every creature, every mo-

ment is infused with purpose and inten-

tion. God’s marvels are so common that

it’s easy to lose our sense of wonder and

be distracted by the mundane things in

life. Quickly consumed with balancing

finances, work, house chores, and family

to-do’s, we can unintentionally over-

look God’s presence. We can miss

out on daily God Sightings.

Challenge your family to examine the

world around you and find at least

one thing that’s a reminder of God,

and why, every day. You’ll be re-

freshed and build on the faith foun-

dation of your entire family as you

discover God in some of the most

unexpected places. Your kids will

learn to hang onto their sense of

wonder and grow a truly personal

relationship with God. You can start

with the example of the remarkable

bee, or with an even more incredible

God Sighting: the blessings you call

family.

TEACHABLE MOMENTS

Be a God Sighting It’s exciting and fun to watch for God Sightings around you. But it’s even more fulfilling and faith-building when you take the opportunity to be a God Sighting for someone else. Cultivating these opportunities with your kids can result in the most spiritually enriching experiences of their lives. Check in with your children’s minister about ways you can get involved within your church. Are there elderly church attenders who could use help with gro-cery shopping? Are there families in need of food, clothing, or a simple act of kindness? Each time you serve, ask your kids: Explain what your feelings are about how we helped ______ (the people you served)? Describe why you think you feel that way? Describe how you were a God Sight-ing today for _________? Why do you think it’s important for us to show kindness to others and treat them the way Jesus would? What other ways can we be God Sightings for friends, neighbors, teachers, and everyone in our family?

Making the Connection

A relationship is a connection, association, or involvement between people; it’s an emotional or other relational connection between peo-ple. That’s a plain, even boring, definition of relationships that you’ll find in dictionaries. It’s a bit flat and lifeless when you consider that the word accounts for of one of the most important aspects of life. Today, with Facebook and other online platforms being a main connecting point, relationships can become about as surface-level as a dictionary definition—even with our family members. Through the global village of the Internet, people have never felt more connected—and never more alone. If our views of relationship and the way we bond with people around us are becoming less personal and more digital, perhaps our view of a relationship with God is changing, too. How can we make our involvement with God much more than a daily status update? And fi-nally, since kids are growing up in this era of the not-so-real relation-ship, how can you guide yours in developing a rich connection with God?

1. Pray: Hands down, this is the best first step you can take toward any goal. Ask God how to improve your relationship with him, your family, and friends. Invest time in praying for your personal network and how you can best support the people in it. You might spend a few months in this prayer step before knowing how to move forward, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Prayer connects you with God, involves God’s grace in your life, and strengthens your bond. Keep sharing your daily God Sight-ings. Watch for God in the details of life, and invite him there. 2. Prioritize: Relationships truly are the most important part of life. They’re where you’ll find life quality and God Sightings galore. But, they do require effort and time. Don’t jump into a thousand “catch-up over coffees” that’ll leave you feeling overwhelmed. Concentrate on your relationship with God and those closest to you—and give them your best.

“This same Good News that came to you is going out all over

the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just

as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and un-

derstood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.”

—Colossians 1:6

3. Pose—You’re a Model: Take a deep breath. Your kids are very aware of the way you live. As you’re working to improve your relation-ships, you’re also modeling that im-portant life goal for them. As you get to know God better, take your kids along with you for the discoveries.

MEDIA MADNESS

MU- SIC

Artist: The City Harmonic

Album: Heart (Releases 09/03/2013)

Artist Info: The City Harmonic is a four-man band from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They’re best known for their powerful Christian rock anthem, “Manifesto.”

Summary: Their second, full-length album includes 13 new songs written with the band’s style of challenging and captivating lyrics.

Our Take: The City Harmonic has a piano rock sound that you and your kids will enjoy. Some of the lyrics might have a depth your kids won’t entirely understand, but the harmonies will hold their attention. Explaining the lyrics to your kids can open up some great faith conversations.

BOOKS Title: Book of Fidgets: A Jot & Doo-dle Journal for Christian Youth (Releases

in September 2013)

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Summary: An engaging and creative journal made to join doodling to learn-ing about God. It’s full of doodle prompts focused on Bible passages and study, holidays and special sea-sons (such as Easter and Christmas), and topics to help a kid explore and embark on self-discovery.

Our Take: This unique journal is best suited for older preteens. It would make a fantastic gift for a child heading into middle school—promoting active learning and using creativity as kids learn about God.

Games, Sites & Apps

Hasbro Family Game Night A mix of classic board games that your family can play on the Nin-tendo Wii—with Mr. Potato Head as your guide. Rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. Best for ages 7 and up. $30 to $40 at most retailers.

Crayola.com/kids-playzone A great website for your younger kids, ages three to six. It’s loaded with fun color-ing pages and games. Kids can turn them-selves into a cartoon, write stories, and turn your family’s digital photos into coloring pages. And, it’s FREE!

Book Creator for iPad A simple app that’ll walk kids and grown-ups alike through building your own e-book. After creating your book, it can be read in iBooks, sent over email, or saved in iTunes. Designed for the iPad; $4.99 at iTunes. Best for ages 8 and up.

CULTURE & TRENDS

Taking kids outside to experience their surroundings while they learn increases academic performance and critical thinking skills, accord-ing to data compiled at nwf.org. Kids learning in an outdoor setting exhibit less stress and anxiety--and it's helpful in minimizing symptoms of ADHD.

QUICK STATS

Affirming Little Ones The more specific you are in prais-ing your toddler’s behavior, the better. Kids who experience specif-ic praise for their actions (rather than simply saying “good girl”) are more likely to take on challenges and problem-solve as they get old-er. (Children’s Ministry Magazine)

Falling TVs

There’s been a significant increase in the number of children’s house-hold injuries from TVs falling off of furniture. With current appliance designs, TVs have become even more prone to toppling over. Make sure the TVs in your home are se-cured and stable. (emaxhealth.com)

This page is designed to help educate parents and isn’t meant

to endorse any movie, music, or product. Our prayer is that

you’ll make informed decisions about what your children

watch, read, listen to, and play.

September

New Fall Schedule Begins September 4th

Sunday Morning 9:40am—F1RSTlook (Birth—Kindergarten) 9:40am—The Gospel Project for Kids (1st—6th) 11:00am—F1RSTlook Worship (2’s—Kindergarten) Sunday Evening 5:00pm—Music Time (PreK—Kindergarten) 5:00pm—Bible Drill (1st—6th Grade) Wednesday Evening 6:15pm—Mission Friends (PreK—Kindergarten) 6:15pm—Missions & Music (1st—6th Grade)

Missions & Music Begins September 4

Children in 1st through 6th grades will have the opportunity to partici-pate in both missions and choir during the Wednesday Night.

Women’s Wednesday Night Bible Study

Don’t just drop the kids off on Wednesday night, stay

and refuel your spiritual tank with FBC Women’s Bible Study in 39 & Holding led

by Denise Hebert

Michael Whitehead—3rd

Lisa Jones—5th

Breland Martin—15th

Dolcy Mercer—23rd

Josie Perrett—30th

Rett Blake—4th

Olivia Evans—6th

KJ Delaughter—17th

Jack Adams—24th